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Education Policy Fellowship Program

Michigan EPFP Program Format

The Michigan EPFP is designed around three major program strands - Public Policy Processes, Leadership and Skill Development, and Networking. Each of the monthly seminars and meetings are designed to address one or more of the program strands. The EPFP utilizes the delivery formats described below to examine the policy making process and the work of leaders. In addition, the EPFP participants use on-line communication tools to stay connected between the monthly seminars and to support their collaborative work.

Monthly Seminars

Through on-site seminars, workshops and experiential activities, the Fellows meet with government leaders, decision-makers, policy analysts, academic experts and noted authorities from a variety of policy arenas to explore questions about public policy formation. The seminars also provide a forum for discussing current and emerging policy issues. Another component of the EPFP is the use of individual and team development tools designed to assess and strengthen leadership styles and skills. The Fellows receive expert feedback and tips for further developing their skills. The information received at the monthly EPFP seminars is transferrable to the Fellow's work environments, with the goal of enhancing their professional endeavors.

Learning Teams

Each of the Michigan EPFP Fellows participates on a learning team that is created around their learning priorities and objectives. The learning teams are comprised of 4-6 members and they attempt to represent the diversity of the program's participants. The learning teams work as cross boundary groups to explore topics of mutual interest. Each learning team is responsible for developing one of the seminar presentations during the program year. The learning teams use multiple presentation formats, resources and learning styles to address the topic or theme selected by the group's members. Participation on a learning team provides enhanced networking opportunities and the development of collaborative skills.
Learning Team resources.

Michigan Policy Seminar

The annual EPFP Michigan Policy Seminar focuses specifically on some of the current and emerging policy issues that are being debated and discussed by members of the Michigan Legislature and other state government leaders. This "Day at the Capitol" also introduces the Fellows to some of the key players in the policy making process in Lansing. The Michigan Policy Seminar helps to prepare the Fellows for the Washington Policy Seminar and provides another important lens for viewing the Washington policy scene.

National Meetings

The EPFP Fellows participate in two national meetings during their Fellowship year that help to build diverse learning communities at each state site, and among Fellows across all national program sites. Attendance at both national meetings is required.

Leadership Forum - The Leadership Forum features experiential training activities, which provide Fellows with opportunities to learn about strategic leadership issues while learning from one of the country’s most important military struggles – the Battle of Gettysburg. In addition, on day two, Fellows will visit the U.S. Army War College and learn about concepts of strategic leadership.

Washington Policy Seminar - The Washington Policy Seminar is a sophisticated civics class that provides an up-close view of how things work in the nation's capital. Fellows gain insights into the people, processes, and institutions which shape national policy, and begin to understand how what happens at the national level intersects or collides with the policy systems and actions at the state and local levels.